World´s largest cruise liner launched in Turku

Economic slump hits cruise travel business

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The signs of the recession are can already be seen in the international cruise travel business.
      “Reservations are perhaps somewhat down, but not yet significantly”, admits Richard Fain, Chairman of the Board of Royal Carribean Cruise Lines.
      “It is too early to say how the situation will develop”, says Fain, who added that people have vacations during recessions as well.
      The bad economic news is not without its positive sides: the lower price of oil has brought fuel costs down.
      Fain was in Turku on Friday for the launching of the world’s largest cruise liner Oasis of the Seas at the Turku Shipyard.
     
The 220,000 GRT vessel is 360 metres long, and has cabins for 5,400 passengers at double occupancy. The price tag is about a billion euros. Although it was launched on Friday, the finishing touches are still being made, and it will not be ready for delivery until next year.
      “One third of the ship is tried and true, one third involves improvements on previous vessels, and one third is revolutionary and new, such as a central park which cuts through the ship, and is open on top.”
      “People are willing to pay for having a choice while on a cruise”, Fein explains, when discussing attractions such as a skating rink, water theatre, sea carousels, and the numerous restaurants on board.
     
Building the giant vessel have been about 4,500 workers. The ship’s construction is on schedule, even though the name and management of the shipyard have changed during the construction.
      The Turku Shipyard is now a part of the South Korean STX Europe group, and the CEO of STX Finland Cruise is a new - albeit experienced - shipyard man,
Martin Landtman.
      “Our clients are financially solid shipping companies, so in that respect, the recession is not yet having an effect. It could affect securing new orders”, Landtman says.
     
After heading the construction project of the new commercial nuclear reactor at Olkiluoto, Landtman returned to Aker Yards in early September, shortly before the owner and name of the company changed. Landtman’s long career in shipbuilding began already at Wärtsilä, and ended the previous time in 2003, when he was the head of the Helsinki shipyard of Kvaerner Masa Yards.
      The Oasis of the Seas was assembled from 181 giant steel sections. The last of them, the smokestack, was installed on Monday last week. The launching of the ship - the filling of the drydock with water - took eight hours to complete. The construction project is now 67 per cent complete.
      The keel-laying of the Oasis's sister ship, the Allure of the Seas, will take place in a couple of weeks in the drydock that was used for the Oasis.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  World́s largest and most expensive passenger vessel to be built in Turku (7.2.2006)
  Ownership of Turku, Rauma, and Helsinki shipyards falls into new hands (23.10.2007)
  Aker Yards wins EUR 900 million order for another giant cruise liner (3.4.2007)

Links:
  Oasis of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises site
  Oasis of the Seas (Wikipedia)

Helsingin Sanomat